


When Fire Doesn't Solve It, Use More Fire. (Ichigo, No.)

by cywscross



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen, Genderfluid Ichigo, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kitsune Ichigo, Kudakitsune Ichigo, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, kitsunegeddon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-07-15 02:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16053113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross/pseuds/cywscross
Summary: A collection of scenes in the life and times of Ichigo the Slightly Fire-Obsessed Kitsune and his Favourite Shinigami Person.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first thing you should know is: PLOT WHAT PLOT. Take these three words very literally.
> 
> The second is: these are very short scenes that will - hopefully - be in vaguely chronological order.
> 
> The third: the premise of this 'verse is just pipe-fox!Ichigo and shinigami!Kisuke getting dumped into various shenanigans because I feel like it.

 

It starts years and years ago, when Kisuke is still officially Third Seat and unofficially lieutenant of the Second Division. He's returning from a long-term solo mission, messier than usual, dark clothes still stained with blood, and all he wants is to collapse into bed and maybe not wake up for a decade or so, when he hears a distinct noise of pain somewhere out of sight. He thinks about just ignoring it, but when he concentrates, the flutter of reiatsu isn't quite like any soul he's ever come across. Different in a way he doesn't recognize, and for all that he's exhausted down to the bone, he is still curious by nature. He figures he might as well investigate. It isn't too far out of his way at least.

So he goes, follows the sounds of a struggle, and stumbles on a sight that at first he's not sure isn't a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and lagging adrenaline and possibly blood loss. In front of him stands three ogre-like humanoid beasts, and Kisuke only has a moment to wonder if maybe they're a new type of Hollow before he spots what two of them are pinning down with clawed hands while the third advance, hunger writ large on its brutish features.

It's a pipe fox. Or at least Kisuke assumes it's a pipe fox, orange-furred and about two feet long. He's never met one, and up until this point, he always thought they were a myth, but hell, he's a Shinigami living in a city for dead souls-- he probably doesn't have much room to throw stones.

The fox screeches again, twisting and turning, trying to free itself even as the beasts - oni? why not - draw more blood, staining the grass underneath. The fox thrashes again, harder, and when its head turns in Kisuke's direction, Kisuke catches its eye, large and amber-gold and full of a desperate sort of fury.

And Kisuke moves without really thinking about it. Maybe he's more tired than he thought. Maybe he feels a foreign pang of sympathy for the pipe fox, outnumbered and cornered by creatures clearly intent on eating or at least killing it.

The oni aren't expecting him but even so, the last one he kills manages to score a long set of gashes along his shoulder before Kisuke beheads it too. It crumbles, like the others, into a dark smog-like pile before dispersing into the air, and he turns around just in time to see the kudakitsune stagger into the air and dive through a portal made of red and black flames before that too winks out of existence behind the fox.

Kisuke stares for a long moment, then heaves a sigh and sheathes Benihime again. It is way too late - or early - to deal with supposedly mythological creatures come to life. He can rearrange his perspective of exactly how big the universe seems to be _after_ he gets home and gets some rest.

Later, once he's a little more awake and a lot more refreshed, he berates himself for not at least capturing one of the oni for further study.  He thinks longingly of those unique red-black flames that kudakitsune could apparently produce, but he never sees it again, or any other supernatural creatures for that matter, even when he goes back to that clearing. Even the fox's blood was gone, washed away by rain.

He drops a few hints, to Yoruichi and Tessai, and later to Hirako and even once to Kyouraku once he becomes a captain and has more reason to strike up conversations with his colleagues, but none of them gives any signs that they know anything about the existence of creatures that aren't Hollows, and eventually, Kisuke gives up on that line of investigation.

 

* * *

 

Decades later, years after the first and last time Kisuke saved a pipe fox from oni and has long since half-convinced himself that he imagined the whole thing, he's out in Rukongai, inwardly panicking as over half a dozen captains and lieutenants scream and writhe in agony around him, slowly but surely and brutally Hollowfied without warning, while Aizen smiles and turns to leave with Tousen and that Ichimaru boy, and Kisuke can't see how this night won't end in anything but disaster.

And then-

A flash of red-black flames roar into existence over their heads, everyone who still has their wits about them turn to look, and so they're all in the perfect position to see a bright orange kudakitsune spiral out of the portal, teeth bared and eyes a bright piercing gold as it lunges straight for Aizen.

Aizen's eyes have gone wide, but he still has the presence of mind to raise a hand, Kidou already sparking at his fingertips. It does him absolutely no good though, because between one blink and the next, the kudakitsune _shifts_ , its body blurring around the edges for a moment before bursting outward in a blaze of gleaming flame-coloured fur, a black mane, and four giant black tails that rise behind him, red balls of flame already forming at their tips. The fox flings them all at once, and they grow in size to engulf Aizen and his two subordinates in a wave of dark crimson, shattering Aizen's retaliatory Kidou spell like it was nothing.

The kudakitsune - turned four-tailed kitsune - soars around the inferno once, twice, three times, and when the foxfire finally pulls back, all three Shinigami are singed and sprawled on the ground, their wrists and ankles are bound with flame, and a collar of the same has wrapped itself around each of their necks. Aizen seems to be shouting something, looking enraged for the first time Kisuke has ever known him, but no sound comes out, and Kisuke catches a glimpse of intricate red runes glowing faintly in a circle around them.

On his part, Kisuke watches in astonishment as the fox lands lightly on the grass, not bending a single blade even as more runic symbols stretch out from beneath its paws toward Hirako and the others, and one by one, they fall silent. Kisuke would be worried that the fox has killed them, but he can sense their reiatsu calming, as well as see their grotesque half-transformations fall away and crumble to white dust and then to nothing around them, and he has no idea how, but he knows the fox is reversing the Hollowfication.

When even Hiyori falls into peaceful unconsciousness, no longer in danger of dying, the fox finally turns to peer at Kisuke with large inquisitive eyes. Its mouth doesn't open but a distinctly male voice echoes around the clearing– **“A debt was owed. A debt is paid.”**

Kisuke stares for a moment longer. And then his shoulders sag a little with sheer relief.  Beside him, Tessai shifts his weight, brow creasing a little with worry but Kisuke waves a hand in reply. “It's fine, Tessai-san.”

A debt. One that the fox took into account and has apparently not forgotten, even after all these years. Then again, a handful of decades is probably nothing for a creature that's probably lived at least four hundred years and will live quite a few hundred more.

Kisuke inclines his head, respectfully. Sitting up the way it is, the fox's head is level with Kisuke's shoulder but its tails loom high over all of them, and Kisuke has just witnessed firsthand what the fox is preliminarily capable of. Besides, all the stories caution against offending kitsune, especially one with even just four tails’ worth of power. “I thank you. You did not have to do this much, but I am grateful for the assistance.”

The fox's head cocks, then it rises to its feet and makes its way over. Both Kisuke and Tessai tense, but not as much as they could have. There is no killing intent in the fox anymore, and in another second, its shrinking once again, back to its pipe fox form.

“You aided me when you had no obligation to do so,” It declares. Its voice is several pitches higher in this form. “It is only right for me to return the favour in your time of need.” It glances back briefly over its shoulder at Aizen, who's simply fuming in silence now. “Is there anything more you need of me while I am here?”

Kisuke hesitates, because he's not sure if this is the same favour or a different one, and however harmless the fox seems to _him_ right now, it very much _isn't_ , and Kisuke isn't in the habit of falling into anyone's debt so easily. The fox blinks at him though, and when it speaks again, it sounds amused. “Assistance freely given, human. Consider it the same debt, if it makes you feel better.”

Well, that’s good to know. And Kisuke _does_ want to see that flame portal again...

“Could you transport us back to Seireitei? To the Twelfth Division?”

The fox considers him for a moment. “I can transport you anywhere. But where is this ‘Twelfth Division’?”

That question results in a quick description of Kisuke’s squad compound, complete with hand gestures and a hastily sketched picture in the dirt that the fox noses curiously at before copying with a flick of its tail that produces impressively accurate illusions all around them.

Kisuke has _so many_ questions.

But they can wait for later. Hopefully, the kudakitsune would be willing to stick around for a while longer. In the meantime, a portal of red-black flames open, and Kisuke begins the arduous task of slinging unconscious Shinigami over his shoulder and taking them back to his labs for a checkup.

At least Aizen hasn’t escaped and left Kisuke to take the fall for the clusterfuck that would’ve been tonight without the fox’s intervention.

Kisuke wonders what kitsune like. Udon? If that turns out to be true too, Kisuke will buy the fox a year’s supply of the stuff just as soon as this mess is sorted.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Several long and tedious days later, Kisuke finally resurfaces from the seemingly endless testimonies and trials and medical checkups that both Unohana and Central 46 insisted on. Aizen is in prison along with Tousen, Ichimaru is on probation and under Kisuke's watch for the foreseeable future, and their collective faith in their government had taken a blow after Central 46 had suggested simply getting rid of the captains and lieutenants who fell prey to Aizen's machinations. That idea was quickly shut down, but Shinigami gossip like no other, and there was a certain discontent in the air even after Hirako and the others were allowed back on light duty.

Kisuke himself knows exactly how lucky he is to have the Shihouin Clan back him to the hilt. Aizen had tried to lie his way out of it during his trial, and some even seemed to believe him, right up until the kudakitsune - who had snaked his way into Kisuke's pocket sometime after depositing them all at the Twelfth and hadn't left since - had stirred and slithered up Kisuke's sleeve, wriggling his way out of the collar of Kisuke's haori just to whisper in his ear, “His blade smells like deceit, and most of the people in this room are starting to smell like it too.”

Aizen's Kyouka Suigetsu - confiscated of course but still in the room - looked sealed, and Kisuke's heard that it's supposed to be a water-based Zanpakutou, but... no Shinigami with any sense goes around telling people what their Zanpakutou's power is, and yet _everybody_ knows what Aizen’s Zanpakutou can supposedly do.

That should’ve been their first clue that something was wrong.

“Can you stop it?” Kisuke had whispered back.

“Leave it to me,” The fox promised, and then it was gone, flying off somewhere, somehow invisible to everyone's eyes as it took off into the air.

Kisuke only had to wait another thirty seconds before Kyouka Suigetsu promptly burst into cobalt blue flames that reminded him a little of the Hogyoku, and all at once, even Kisuke - who knew exactly the kind of man Aizen was at that point - felt some unknown weight lift from his mind. And all around him, people shook their heads, blinking like they were just waking up, and in their midst, Aizen had lunged out of his seat as far as the chains would allow, a shout of denial on his lips as he watched his Zanpakutou burn.

Kisuke can't say much for the kudakitsune's sense of subtlety but it definitely got points for effectiveness.

 

* * *

 

The thing is, nobody talks about the kudakitsune in their midst, despite the fact that at least five people know of its existence. But Aizen never mentions it, nor does Ichimaru or Tousen, Tessai doesn't, and Kisuke sees no reason to bring it up during the trials either if nobody else is going to - he learned a long time ago that there's no need to reveal information when it isn't strictly necessary - and it doesn't occur to him that this lack of mention is _odd_ until he tries to tell Yoruichi about it.

Nothing comes out. Or, well, something does. She's asking for more details about how the Hollowfication was reversed, and he thinks about the fox and those runes, and he opens his mouth to tell her, only for his mouth to say, “I'm not sure either. My best guess is that Aizen-san's Hougyoku is incomplete and so could not Hollowfy a Shinigami entirely. The transformation destabilized midway through, and their souls were thankfully strong enough to overpower the foreign... 'poison', so to speak.”

Yoruichi hums and accepts the butchered explanation. Kisuke proceeds to steer the conversation in another direction, and he doesn't ask until he's alone in his labs again with a certain kudakitsune draped like a furry scarf on his coat rack.

“I placed a geas on you the first time we met,” The fox admits, squirming just a little, more defiant than guilty. “And the others before we left that clearing. But it's law. We're not supposed to interact with humans too much, and if we do, we have to make sure you can't talk about us. After the first Extinction, none of us want to risk the knowledge getting back out.”

Kisuke considers getting angry for a moment. "...The geas doesn't do anything other than prevent us from speaking about you and... your kind?" He asks slowly.

The fox nods. "Yeah. It doesn't tamper with your memories or anything. You just can't communicate the information to anyone else, whether they know or not. It doesn't prevent you from speaking entirely. That would be suspicious. But it... redirects attention in a way that ensures you wouldn't say anything or at the very least you wouldn't be believed. The geas seals the knowledge away in its container. Your mind."

Which is pretty useful, Kisuke has to admit. And it didn't even hurt when he tried to talk about it. Mostly, it was as if his tongue gained a mind of its own and offered up a theory that already existed in his brain. A wrong theory, obviously, but a theory he came up with over the last few days when he thought about what else could've prevented or reversed the effects of Aizen's Hougyoku if the kudakitsune hadn't arrived. It could be worse. And at the moment, it isn't as if Kisuke can do anything about it either way.

Also, Kisuke _really_ wants to know more about the fox's sealing abilities. About everything. _Law? They have laws? Does that not imply a ruling body at the very least? An entire hidden civilization that apparently Shinigami know nothing about?_

Kisuke wants to know _everything_ , and he can't even begin to weasel out information if he offends his only source to the point of making it leave. Or kill him, which - if he thinks about it - is probably far more likely. If the price is his silence, well, Kisuke's had plenty of practice of keeping secrets even without nifty geasa holding his tongue.

So, “What is the Extinction?” He asks instead, attention caught on the capital-E he heard from just the way the fox said it.

The fox's tail swings back and forth for a moment like a forlorn pendulum. “I wasn't born yet when it happened,” It tells him, but a note of discomfort lingers in its voice. “But Mama showed me the hunts with illusions. Humans back then liked to hunt us for sport. It was _fun_ for them. Or they wanted our fur, or claws, or teeth, or magic.” Its eyes flash for a second, and Kisuke catches a quicksilver glimpse of fangs that seem too big for its mouth. “We call it the Extinction because whole species were wiped out. But some of us escaped, and we keep to ourselves now. If humans found out, they would hunt us again. I won't let that happen just because I owed you a debt.”

Kisuke is silent for a long minute before venturing, “But nobody remembers anymore.” He can't recall ever reading about an event that big in any text, not even as myths or fairy tales. “You would have a clean slate to start over, if you wish.”

The kudakitsune huffs. “But we _do not wish_. No, it is better we remain separate.” It finally rears up from the rack and does a lazy loop-de-loop over head before curling up on top of one of Kisuke's computers. “Besides,” Its ears flatten against its head, and despite remaining the size of a kitten, there's something threatening in the sudden glare of its eyes. “You have not all forgotten. I have recognized at least two in your Society who were once enthusiastic killers of our kind.”

Kisuke goes still. “I- Who?” But even as he asks, his mind offers him only two faces of the Gotei 13, and he knows he's right even before the fox tells him.

“The woman who now fancies herself a healer,” The kudakitsune reveals with just the faintest edge of _teeth_ sunk into each word. “Nigh unrecognizable now, without blood dripping from her hair and necklaces of teeth hanging from her neck. And the man who is your leader. He may be old now but his face is almost exactly the same as the one in Mama's memories. He favoured his hands, and he preferred the heads of dragons as his trophies.”

It uncoils and rises like a cobra preparing to strike, and a chill runs down Kisuke’s spine. He never realized a fox could sneer until now, and with so much disdain too. “They dress themselves in white and cover up the bloodstains with soft words and courtesy, but none of us - not even those who were born after the Extinction - would ever be stupid enough to risk our families and friends to barbarians like them again. Your kind may have had the luxury of forgetting, human, but my kind never will.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Kisuke is put in charge of the Visored project. Central 46 agrees - reluctantly - that the victims weren't at fault and so they shouldn't be thrown in the Maggots' Nest or executed for it, but they do insist on someone monitoring their condition for a while, along with regular checkups by not just a healer but someone who actually knows what they're doing. With Aizen out of commission, the only other option is Kisuke.

Sometimes it pays to be the only smartest mostly-not-insane scientist in all of Soul Society.

Other times, for example– when a boy plays spy and barely escapes imprisonment and has traces of hollow reiatsu inside him because Aizen already got his paws on him, it's more of a chore than Kisuke would like to admit.

“The kit's back,” The kudakitsune announces from where it's mimicking a furry noose up in the rafters.

Kisuke doesn't look up from his notes but he does have to tamp down on a flicker of irritation. Ichimaru is... not the easiest person to work with but- “Yes, as he was yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. He's under my command now, and my labs are at the Twelfth, so he has to come to work at the Twelfth as well. He'll be here every day so you should probably get used to seeing him around.”

“I didn't say I _mind_ ,” The fox says loftily. “I just wanted to know if I could set him on fire.”

Kisuke doesn't so much as blink. “No.”

“…Not even a little bit?”

For a moment, Kisuke allows himself a smirk and thinks wistfully of an entire day without Ichimaru Gin being a snot-nosed _brat_ around him, never quite rude enough to get him court-martialed, but nevertheless making sly remarks about the - increasingly creepy, even by Kisuke's standards - things Aizen used to say about him, and playing innocently dumb about every test Kisuke performs on him.

Once, they wasted an entire day on one test because Ichimaru kept pretending he didn't understand what Kisuke meant by "measuring how synchronized the Shinigami portion of his reiatsu has become with his Hollow reiatsu", and technically speaking, Kisuke isn't allowed to go through with a test until he has the patient's informed consent. Not that that's stopped Kisuke before, and it isn't as if Central 46 has ever been particularly fussed about free will when they want something, but ever since learning exactly why Ichimaru was schmoozing up to Aizen, Hirako's become rather protective of him, either out of guilt or some sense of captain's responsibility or both. And Ichimaru's been milking that sentiment for all its worth, which is admittedly a smart tactic. The city is still reeling from mass hypnosis at the hands of a man whom many people liked or aspired to be. And Tousen wasn't as widely admired, but he'd still been entrusted with a senior seated position, hand-picked by a captain for his special unit. There are a lot of doubtful eyes on Ichimaru right now, and even if Hirako isn't wholly trusted by the higher-ups at the moment, he’s still a captain with a tenure only a few centuries shorter than Kyoruaku's and Ukitake's, he still has plenty of clout, and Ichimaru isn't stupid enough to refuse the man's protection.

But it also means Kisuke has to actually toe a line around the boy, lest he gets Hirako on his case. Again. One accusatory lecture was enough.

He can't help but resent it a little though. Kisuke helped save their lives, damn it. He probably would've failed without the kudakitsune's aid, but at least he _tried_. Wanting revenge and to protect his little girlfriend don't actually excuse the fact that Ichimaru did nothing while Hirako and the others were screaming on the ground.

...And now he sounds like a child whining about his problems. He makes a face at his research, which at least is a step up from smacking his face into his desk the way he kind of wants to. He knows full well that the world is unfair, being any kind of hero is a thankless job, and his reputation as a former spy and assassin doesn't help. He doesn't want the kind of spotlight that being openly praised and rewarded would bring him anyway, and he suspects that Hirako and the other captains and lieutenants’ cagey bad moods and condemnatory mistrust whenever they meet Kisuke for their mandatory checkups have less to do with _him_ personally and more to do with the fact that their government is treating them like ticking time bombs or potentially rabid dogs that will need putting down.

But it still grates. Kisuke doesn't need acknowledgement, doesn't want it. But maybe his time as a captain has softened him, because he _does_ want a little respect.

Not for the first time, he misses the Onmitsukidou and how much simpler things were when all he was required to do was kill the people someone else pointed him at.

“...No,” He repeats out loud, casting the kudakitsune a pointed look for emphasis. “Just as the answer has been no every other time you've asked.”

He had no idea a fox could sulk until now. “But you don't even like him! And it's not like I'm going to kill him. Just... roast him a bit.” Its voice takes a sly lilt. “Just enough to send him to the pretend-healer. And then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

Tempting. So tempting. He can see where kitsune got their reputation from.

“No,” Kisuke sighs rather mournfully, because he is a captain and he is supposed to be all responsible and... stuff, these days. He usually tunes Hiyori out when she gets going on one of her rants about how abysmal he is at the job and how much better Hikifune was. It isn't as if he doesn't _know_ that already, but even ten years after they first met, she still seems to find it necessary to remind him at least once a week. He doesn’t even feel guilty over his own relief at the fact that Hiyori’s been transferred over to the Fifth in exchange for Ichimaru’s presence here. Ichimaru is annoying, but even just the thought of having to deal with _both_ of them _at the same time_ makes him shudder.

“Behave,” Kisuke adds as he feels Ichimaru's reiatsu signature enter the building. “You don't want more people than necessary to know about you. I know Ichimaru-san is under the geas’ restrictions too but it's probably better to be safe than sorry. I think he's already tried hinting about it to me a few times, and the geas didn't let him, but I could still guess because I know about you too. If he does that around Yamamoto-soutaichou or Unohana-taichou, they might figure out your kind hasn't completely died out, and who knows what they would do then.”

Well, Kisuke knows, or at least he has a pretty good idea, no matter what paltry attempt at reassurance he's given the fox. The Gotei 13 is fairly predictable when it comes to anything _different_ , and even more so if _powerful_ follows at its heels.

The kudakitsune's tail lashes, and a hint of a snarl curls its mouth, but it settles down, and after a moment of detaching itself from the rafters and snaking its way through the air and over to one of Kisuke's computers - which seems to be its favourite nesting place, possibly for the warmth - it disappears from view entirely.

“Remember,” Its disembodied voice floats across the room. “I can always set him on fire. It's not like he can _prove_ it's me, especially if I use illusions to disguise the colour.”

And then it falls silent, and Kisuke gets a second to swallow another smirk before a knock sounds at the door.

 

* * *

 

Throughout the rest of the day, several things happen: one of the more delicate research projects he has in his main lab - one that he's been working on for the past year and a half and couldn't be moved - will need to be scrapped because Ichimaru “accidentally tripped, so sorry, Taichou” on his way past it with a pitcher of water, two of the three measly tests they've done today will have to be redone tomorrow because Ichimaru “accidentally deleted the data while you were in the bathroom, so sorry, Taichou”, and all of Kisuke's computers at the far end of the room will now have to be replaced because Ichimaru shattered every last one of them when Kisuke asked him to unseal his Zanpakutou so that he could record any differences between a regular Shinigami releasing their Shikai and one with Hollow reiatsu in them doing the same (“I thought you'd wanna see Shinsou's extension abilities a few times for more data; sorry, Taichou”).

By the end of the day, the headache Kisuke's been nursing since lunch has faded to background noise, and instead, Benihime stares out from behind his eyes, submerged in his soul and chillingly silent in a way she only ever is when her rage is at a murderous high, restrained only by Kisuke's ironclad self-control.

He thinks, distantly, that Ichimaru senses it too, the bloodlust in the air, the too-still weight of Kisuke's reiatsu, the flicker of crimson in his pupils. Either way, Ichimaru leaves without another word or even his usual mockingly triumphant smile when Kisuke quietly dismisses him half an hour early.

Kisuke stares for a long moment at the computer screen in front of him, not really seeing it. And then, “Can you set him on fire and make it look like an accident?”

A beat, and then a growl that sounds a little like laughter and a little like the same outraged fury simmering at the back of Kisuke’s mind echoes around the lab. The kudakitsune appears again, stretching like a cat before darting into the air. Its eyes are a hard burnished gold even as it meets Kisuke’s gaze.

“Leave it to me.”

Kisuke only hears about it the next day, when his assistant doesn't show up for work. Apparently, he was hit with a stray Kidou spell when he was walking past one of Seireitei's public training grounds, and the resulting burns landed him at the Fourth. They weren't too bad, but they were a bit slow to heal, so the healer - after scolding him for wandering too close to a sparring session - suggested taking Friday off. And with Ichimaru no longer holding a position high enough to warrant going in to work over the weekend, Kisuke wouldn't see him again until Monday.

Kisuke buys the kudakitsune _three_ whole extra helpings of udon in thanks.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

“I never asked for your name,” Kisuke says a little while into their acquaintance.

“Names have power,” The kudakitsune counters, voice a little muffled from his place under Kisuke's kotatsu, coiled comfortably in a ball with only its nose sticking out.

Kisuke waits a moment to see if the fox would say anything else, but when it doesn't, he ventures, “Because I would be able to control you? Or trap you?”

“You'd need to learn the right spells and rituals first for either of those things,” The fox tells him dryly. “But at the same time, neither of those things would work if you didn’t have my true name when you cast a command spell or activate a summoning ritual. And even then, you’d need to have power. If you have less power than whatever you’re trapping or summoning or trying to control, well, you might still be able to hold them for a while, but they would ultimately overwhelm you sooner or later.” Its head pushes out from under the futon to give him a sharp look. “And they sure won't be happy with you either.”

Kisuke raises his hands placatingly. “I wasn't thinking about doing it to _you_.” And he wasn't. He's curious about the fox, downright fascinated by the mystery world it talks about, but he also enjoys the fox's company, and he owes it enough that the thought of crossing such a line feels wrong even to him. Besides, turning on his only source of information about kitsune and other supposedly mythological creatures for no reason is just plain stupid. On the other hand, “Just... if I ever meet something else from your world that I might need to... subdue, it would be useful to know how to defend myself if my Shinigami abilities alone aren’t enough.”

The kudakitsune’s foxfire reduced Kyouka Suigetsu to ash after all. The colour was disguised, and everybody seems to have dismissed the spontaneous flames as some kind of backlash from Aizen’s experiments with the Hogyoku, but Kisuke knows the truth, and he’s not risking Benihime if he ever gets into a fight that has a good chance of permanently destroying her, not if he can help it.

The kudakitsune gives him a long narrow-eyed look this time. Kisuke plasters on his best innocent expression, but it only makes the fox snort.

“You remind me of a bakaneko,” It grumbles before it tucks its head back under the futon. “Maybe I'll teach you some things later. For now...” There's a noticeable moment of hesitation before it continues, “For now, you can call me Ichigo.”

Kisuke ponders that for a minute. “So... it isn't your real name?”

A harrumph answers him. “It's my name,” The fox grumbles. “One of them. It's just not the name I was born with. Everybody has two - one we are born with and one usually bestowed upon us at birth. Is this not human custom as well?”

Kisuke blinks. “I... don't think so. I only have one name. Well, two if you count my family name and my given name separately, and others might have three if they have a middle name or a title, but technically, people generally only have the name our families give us. One bestowed on us at birth, as you say.”

A moment of silence passes. “Humans are a lot more careless with that sort of thing,” The fox eventually says, its voice distracted in a way that makes it sound like it's mostly just talking to itself. Kisuke frowns, but before he can ask, the fox continues more pointedly, “We have different customs, I guess. For safety reasons. So, if you try to summon me with my given name, I'd hear you, but you wouldn't be able to force me to your location the way you'd be able to with my true name. Likewise, if you tried to trap me with my given name, I'd know what you were attempting but you wouldn't actually be able to bind me.”

Kisuke hums thoughtfully. He supposes that makes sense. And he'd question the fox's intelligence if it actually gave him that much power over it this soon, even if Kisuke doesn't know any spells or rituals yet.

“Is it...” He stops and considers the phrasing of his next question. “Your family named you ‘Ichigo’?”

The futon shifts again, and Kisuke gets his first stink-eye from a magical fox. “My mother did. And it doesn't mean ‘strawberry’ if that's what you're asking. It means ‘first protector’.”

“Ah,” Kisuke says with a completely straight face. “It's a very regal name.”

Somehow, the fox manages to convey a spectacular eyeroll without actually rolling its eyes. “Don't strain yourself.”

Kisuke finally smirks but he's honest enough when he insists, “It _is_ a regal name. Very unique. Just not one I'd expect most people to consider, let alone choose, because of the pun.” He pauses. He still can't quite tell so he might as well ask. “So does this mean you're male? Or female?”

He gets another huff, this one more exasperated as the fox disappears into the kotatsu again. “I'm a _kitsune_. My kind are shapeshifters by nature, so obviously we can be one or the other. Whichever we prefer at the time. Female is popular when we take human form because men of almost any species are more likely to fall for a woman's charms or a woman's tears, and we do like our games of seduction.” Kisuke gets an impish flash of tiny fangs here. “But we can be either, so gender doesn't really matter to us. I suppose though, if you're asking what I was born as, it would be male.”

Kisuke digests that - and his brain tries to wrap around how that would affect the internal organs - before asking politely, “But do you prefer male or female pronouns? Or neither?”

Amber-gold eyes peek out from beneath the futon, and Kisuke gets a sense of amused fondness from the fox this time. “I really don't care. But if you must, how about you just pick one for whatever I look more like at the time?”

Kisuke just stares dubiously at what he can see of the kudakitsune in response.

The fox snickers and disappears once more. “Whatever you want,” It sings, before going silent, and a few minutes later, tiny snuffling snores reach Kisuke's ears.

Kisuke sighs and turns back to his paperwork. Well, so long as Ichigo doesn't care. Kisuke himself _does_ , but mostly because he kind of wants to ask about the biological aspect of it all– does the gender change extend all the way down to a cellular level? Does it stay the same between gender shifts? Is kitsune biology even remotely similar to a regular fox's? Or even a human's? Or both, depending on what form it takes, since Kisuke's seen its pipe fox form and its four-tailed kitsune form and now there's the implication of a human form? Is it possible for Ichigo to get pregnant as a female? If it is, what happens if she turns male mid-term?

But - Kisuke supposes just a touch mournfully - that's probably not new-acquaintance conversation material. So he'll have better luck relegating that subject onto the backburner and sticking to other topics for now.

Luckily for him, there's certainly no shortage of those to needle Ichigo about.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

“But I want to come too!” Ichigo whines. “I love tempura!”

“You're a fox,” Kisuke mutters as he steps into his geta. “What kind of fox eats tempura anyway?”

He hisses when Ichigo chomps on his hand and then zooms off again out of reach when Kisuke swats at him. “Seriously?”

Ichigo glowers at him. “I'm a _kitsune_ , thank you very much. And we can eat anything.” He snaps his jaws. “Including humans if we feel like it.”

Considering Ichigo's entire head is currently smaller than Kisuke's hand, even knowing about Ichigo's much bigger form, it's still difficult to muster up any kind of fear in the face of such an adorable-looking threat.

Ichigo's ears flatten against his head, and his eyes narrow, as if he can sense Kisuke's amusement.

Kisuke sighs. “You know you can't come. There's going to be other people there, and you don't want them seeing you, right? Even if you stay invisible, I'm fairly certain someone's going to notice the disappearing plates of tempura.”

Ichigo snorts. “Are you sure about that? Nobody noticed all the disappearing Shinigami.”

Well, that is sadly kind of true. Further investigation over the past week has uncovered at least one of Aizen's labs in Rukongai full of mostly dead, mostly dissected Shinigami from just about every squad who were presumed to have died on various missions over the course of the past three decades or so. Now the file of every Shinigami marked KIA in the books but with no definite evidence of how they died are being dug up and looked over with a fine-toothed comb. It's a headache and a half, and Kisuke hasn't worked this hard in his entire tenure as a captain until now, which means that tonight – the end of the _first half-day off he's had since Aizen was revealed as a traitor_ , and the _last half-day off he'll probably have for the foreseeable future until they've unravelled all of Aizen's machinations_ \- will be spent at his favourite sushi restaurant, and nothing short of the apocalypse is going to stop him from going.

“I'll bring you back some tempura,” Kisuke promises.

Ichigo bristles sullenly. “Tempura has to be eaten fresh! Everybody knows that! It doesn't taste as good if you have to wait to eat it.”

Kisuke sighs again. “You still can't come, Ichigo-san.”

Ichigo glowers moodily at him for a long minute. Kisuke waits patiently for him to admit to defeat, only to blink when the fox rears up, suddenly looking smug again.

“Fine!” He announces. “I'll go in disguise then!”

Kisuke gets about two heartbeats to worry as visions of a gigantic four-tailed kitsune strolling down the street dance across his mind’s eye, and then Ichigo's fur is fluffing out, making him look twice his current size for a moment before his outline blurs and a flicker of red-black flames hop and leap along his body, and then-

One second, he’s a fluffy noodle fox. The next, he’s growing bigger and bigger, figure blurring and shifting, sprouting limbs and losing fur that recede to his head only to sprout again into a long mane of hair, until finally, a woman stands before him, nearly as tall as he is, with pale skin and bright orange hair that falls down to her waist and eyes that have lost their slitted pupils and golden colour for a more human brown.

She’s also very naked. With very generous curves and subtly lithe muscles.

Kisuke blinks once, and somehow, her figure softens, less like someone trained to kill and more like a civilian.

Kisuke blinks again, then very calmly turns his back. “Ichigo-san, please tell me you can produce some clothing for yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ichigo grumbles, and even her voice is slightly different, less tenor, more alto, with a smoky purr curling seductively around each word. “You humans and your _clothes_. You’re practically all the same underneath. I don’t know what you’re so embarrassed about.”

Kisuke isn’t exactly _embarrassed_. Yoruichi’s changed in front of him enough times – and vice-versa – to cure him of any kind of hang-ups he might have towards the human body, male or female. But even he knows it isn’t polite to stare.

Also, a fox just became a woman right in front of him, and _hearing_ about the ability and actually witnessing it are two very different things. Yoruichi’s told him about the Shihouin bloodline ability to shift from human to cat and back, but she hasn’t been able to do it yet so Kisuke’s never actually seen something like this happen.

“Done,” Ichigo declares, and Kisuke mentally braces himself before cautiously turning around again.

And promptly gapes.

Ichigo is now dressed in a black kimono with a bold blood red flower pattern stitched along one shoulder, parts of the sleeves, as well as the front part of the garment. The obi is gold, like her fox form’s eye colour, while her hair is now pinned back simply but elegantly with kanzashi. The collar of her kimono is wide enough to let her collarbones and the beginning dip of her breasts tease at any eyes that land on her, and the barest amounts of makeup put an extra touch of red in her cheeks and lips while accentuating her delicate bone structure and eyes. Socks and geta peek out from the bottom hem of her kimono, and a black fan with a similar flower pattern materializes in her hand to finish the ensemble.

“Well?” Ichigo tips a smirk at him. “How do I look?”

…All in all, she would fit right in with the high-class courtesans in the red-light districts scattered throughout the District 1s of Rukongai. And likewise probably have men falling all over themselves for her too before the night is out.

“You can’t go out like that,” Kisuke blurts out.

The fan snaps shut. “Watch me,” Ichigo tells him, practically daring him to challenge her as she sweeps past him and out the door.

Kisuke stays frozen in place for a moment before scrambling after her. “Wait! You can’t- Are you even actually wearing anything or are those clothes just illusions?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know!” Ichigo sings, and Kisuke barely remembers to lock the door before hurrying after the fox-turned-woman.

He really hopes Yoruichi doesn’t hear about this. Else he’s never going to live this down.

 

* * *

 

Dinner is… not terrible.

He’s widely known enough as a captain – even more so now with the Aizen debacle under his belt – that quite a few off-duty Shinigami and even civilians give him double-takes as he walks past them with a woman on his arm. Anyone that doesn’t recognize him looks anyway, goggling like hormonal teenagers at Ichigo. And all of them stare far more than is strictly polite at the unknown woman with Kisuke.

To be fair, they started out walking side by side, with a good half-foot between them. Then a man who probably didn’t recognize Kisuke as a Shinigami, let alone a captain, and was also already a little drunk, strolled right up and offered to buy Ichigo for the rest of the night. His greedy gaze couldn’t seem to detach itself from Ichigo’s chest, and he even had the gall to try and cop a feel.

Ichigo’s smile turned saccharinely sweet, and before Kisuke could debate the pros and cons of cutting off a civilian’s hand, the man howled with both shock and pain as his hair mysteriously caught on fire and sent him reeling into his equally surprised friends who had finally stopped cat-calling.

Friends who – after a moment’s consideration – also spontaneously burst into flames.

Their shouts could still be heard after Kisuke and Ichigo had turned left off that particular street.

“You can’t go around setting _everyone_ on fire,” Kisuke muttered long-sufferingly.

“I absolutely can,” Ichigo refuted. “I just did.”

Kisuke sighed, idly wondered if Seiretei might accidentally burn to the ground one of these days, and then offered his arm. Ichigo arched an eyebrow.

“You’ll be with me,” Kisuke explained lightly. “And I’ll have a reason to stab anyone stupid enough to try something.”

And they wouldn’t leave a trail of burning citizens in their wake. Maybe a little bloody, but at least not on fire.

Ichigo rolled her eyes but took his arm, a warmer than average weight settled against Kisuke’s side as they continued to the restaurant. And the next time someone approached with a leer, Kisuke simply flexed his reiatsu in warning, deep and dark with a thread of bloodlust straight down the middle, and _everyone_ in a five-foot radius backed off.

Except Ichigo of course. Ichigo only grinned.

Dinner is a quiet, comfortable affair. Kisuke is more than a little amused at the three helpings of tempura, two plates of sashimi, and a large bowl of udon that Ichigo orders. The person serving their table looks a little flummoxed, but a sharp glance from Kisuke keeps him professional.

They’re largely left alone, and a series of glyphs that Ichigo traces into the air with her chopsticks raises a privacy ward that practically hums with power as it goes up. Kisuke spends the rest of the meal pestering Ichigo about it until Ichigo relents with a fond sigh and begins teaching him the basic syntax and morphology of one of the languages favoured by Ichigo’s people when it comes to seals and wards and rituals.

In exchange, Kisuke pays for dinner and buys her dessert on the way home. Her hair positively glows under the lantern lights, and they get more than their fair share of stares, but Ichigo also wants to linger in an out-of-the-way gazebo that has a clear view of the fireworks show that the Shiba Clan has decided to put on tonight, and so they stay to watch until it’s over before finally going home.

Ichigo almost immediately shifts back into a fox, clothes rippling away into thin air like they were never there, and then he spends the next two hours cooking under the kotatsu.

Kisuke doesn’t mind, too enthralled by the _entirely new syllabary_ that Ichigo’s been gracious enough to write out for him, and he even answers every question Kisuke has about it as he takes more notes himself while memorizing the information.

He should probably burn everything later, just in case. No point risking Ichigo’s safety, however slight the chance, especially once Kisuke has everything committed to memory.

He doesn’t go to sleep until two in the morning, and even then, he only sets his notes aside for another time because Ichigo threatens to not teach him anything else ever again if he doesn’t go to bed.

Kisuke goes to bed. The last drowsy thought that flits through his mind as a heap of familiar orange coils curls up on top of the portable heater – which he cobbled together and placed next to his futon for the fox a few weeks ago – is that Ichigo certainly makes for a beautiful woman, but at this point, his kudakitsune form is far less jarring to Kisuke and thus far more preferred.

 

* * *

 

Morning isn’t nearly as peaceful and brings its own headache of course.

“So! What’s this I hear about your trip to an Akasen and parading a girl around, Kisuke? After all the men and women I tried to set you up with and you turned down, _now_ you randomly take someone out for dinner and you don’t even have the decency to introduce her to me? You can’t tell me it was just for the night either. You _took her out for dinner_. And at least five different people told me you _took her home_. So. _Spill_.”

Kisuke heaves a sigh and drinks more tea. It’s unfortunately too early for alcohol, plus he has work.

 _Still_.

“I would love to introduce you, Yoruichi-san,” Kisuke begins in his blandest tone of voice.

In the distance, from the direction of the SRDI, something explodes. Kisuke thanks every deity he’s heard of for the distraction. Then he thanks Ichigo as a plume of smoke rises into the air and the crackle of flames just barely reach their ears.

“But as you can see,” Kisuke finishes cheerfully. “Duty calls. Perhaps later, Yoruichi-san.”

And then he’s gone, racing away towards the explosion, and he knows the only reason he escapes is because Yoruichi lets him. He’ll probably pay for it later, but for now, it’s one less headache to deal with.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

“How would you feel about meeting a friend of mine, Ichigo-san?”

There’s a rustle, and then Ichigo’s furry head pops up out of the odds-and-ends bin in Kisuke’s lab that he’s been idly digging through for lack anything else to do. A rain of nails ping to the floor in his wake and roll off in different directions in a way that snags Ichigo’s attention for a moment and makes his tail twitch like a cat debating the pros and cons of pouncing. But he shakes it off and peers at Kisuke instead, blinking a little warily at him.

“In this form?”

Kisuke hesitates. Normally, he would say yes. He’s never really kept any secrets from Yoruichi before, not the important ones or the interesting ones, and certainly he’s never failed to tell her one thing or another if she asked.

But… it’s been a decade and change since they were that close, and ten years isn’t _that_ long in a Shinigami’s lifespan but Kisuke’s also been a captain for ten years, he’s been an _equal_ to Yoruichi in rank for ten years, no longer just a subordinate even if sometimes it still doesn’t feel like it, even though he knows he’d still probably jump the moment Yoruichi tells him to. But they barely even see each other anymore outside of the friendly get-togethers between the Gotei’s captains, and if he’s being honest, there are finished projects and ongoing experiments in his private labs that – once – he would’ve told Yoruichi about ( _like the Hogyoku_ ), if only so she could do damage control should something go wrong. Not to mention the internal affairs of his squad in general that she doesn’t know about either, and a dozen other less critical but perhaps more personal tidbits that he would’ve divulged to her over a meal or casual conversation once upon a time, just because.

But it’s not like they meet up for those anymore anyway. Even her visit to his office the other day was a shock, because Yoruichi hasn’t ever done that before in all the time Kisuke’s been captain of the Twelfth.

( _“It’s not professional, Kisuke,”_ She said, the one time he brought it up as casually as he could. But Kyouraku and Ukitake do it all the time, and since when has Yoruichi cared one way or the other anyway when it came to something this insignificant?)

They’re not as close these days, and this particular secret – of Ichigo and his people and his world – is as important as it isn’t exactly his secret to divulge. And once, that wouldn’t have mattered. Kisuke would’ve told Yoruichi anyway, and whatever Yoruichi decided to do with the information, Kisuke would’ve followed her lead, confident that it would be the best choice.

Now though…

He looks at Ichigo, who’s still waiting patiently for Kisuke’s verdict, as if he’ll actually take Kisuke’s word into account if Kisuke tells him _yes, I would like my spy-assassin friend – whom you’ve never met or even spoken to – to know about you_. Maybe not agree, because he’s pretty sure at this point that Ichigo isn’t that naïve, but whatever Kisuke says now will still hold _weight_ , and that…

That of all things makes him pause.

The geas, he knows, helps a great deal in preventing the secret from getting out, but one too many right non-words in the wrong ear, and Ichigo and his kind would be outed and hunted down once more. And Kisuke… Kisuke doesn’t know anymore where Yoruichi’s first loyalty lies. It feels like blasphemy to even think it, and once, he would’ve said her clan first, and then Kisuke a close second, as egotistical as that sounds, with the Gotei a somewhat distant third. But now that Kisuke has gone his own way, been _forced_ to go his own way, no longer part of her life the way he used to be, there’s not just her clan to keep in mind anymore. Instead, there’s also the Second Division and the Onmitsukidou, neither of which he has any authority over anymore and which owe him no loyalty in return either for that same reason. And then of course there’s _Suì-Fēng_ , no longer only Yoruichi’s protégé and personal guard but also right hand and friend and confidant, everything Kisuke used to be. Kisuke’s never even hinted at a complaint, not when Yoruichi first introduced the girl to him and not in any of the years that followed, but… well, Kisuke knows when he’s been replaced.

Which is why as much as a part of him feels guilty for doubting Yoruichi at all, for questioning a friendship that’s almost two _centuries_ in the making and one he swore he would be – and _is_ – _thankful_ for every day of his life, he can’t help but question it anyway. He has no doubt that even without the Extinction angle, Yamamoto and Unohana and especially Central 46 would very much want to know about an _entire world_ of presumedly mythological creatures running around under their noses, _not_ under their control, and Yoruichi would know that.

She owes Ichigo nothing, not the way Kisuke sort of does. He hasn’t voiced it, and neither has Ichigo, but he’s self-aware enough to know that the fox has helped him far more than that one moment of Kisuke cutting in to save Ichigo from a few ogres ever warranted. And turning Ichigo in – as is technically her duty as a captain and a soldier under the command of their government – wouldn’t harm the Shihouin Clan or Suì-Fēng or even Kisuke; on the other hand, if the Gotei somehow finds out Yoruichi knew and didn’t even attempt to pass on the information, _that_ would probably put her and the people she cares about in danger, would at the very least tarnish her reputation and make her lose standing, if not worse.

So the only reason she might have for not selling Ichigo out would be Kisuke, because Kisuke wouldn’t want her to. And these days, Kisuke’s not sure how much weight that holds with her anymore.

(It’s almost funny, in a way. It took years and _years_ of persistent determination on Yoruichi’s part for Kisuke to finally take her friendship at face-value, to believe she meant what she said when she told him she considered him her closest friend despite her status as a noble and his as a mere Rukongai orphan living on the Shihouin Clan’s generosity, to trust the unspoken promise between them that they would each kill and die for the other if it came down to it, and nothing would ever change that, not her clan, not his promotions, not the Gotei.

It took only a decade to bring all those insecurities he thought he’d overcome right back to the forefront. Strictly speaking, it probably didn’t even take that long. It’s just that it’s only now that it’s becoming a real concern, and he hates himself for it, just a little. Yoruichi doesn’t deserve this kind of faithlessness, and yet…

 _And yet._ )

All of that aside though, there’s also the issue of forcing Yoruichi to choose at all. If she knows, she’ll be obligated to do something about it. Report it or hide it, she’ll still have to choose a side if Kisuke convinces Ichigo to let her in on the secret too.

Of course, Yoruichi would say that it should be her decision, that she’d rather know than not, and she can make up her own damn mind, thank you very much. But that doesn’t prevent Kisuke from wanting to spare her that burden anyway. _Kisuke_ doesn’t mind keeping secrets from their government so it isn’t much of a burden for him despite potential treason charges that might lead to demotion, imprisonment, or even death, but Yoruichi is high nobility, beholden to certain responsibilities and expectations that Kisuke will never be, and it _would_ be a burden for her.

Technically, by advising Ichigo against trusting Yoruichi with what he is, Kisuke’s taking the choice out of her hands entirely, something she’ll no doubt be more than a little irritated about if and when she finds out. But, at least for now, it seems wisest to contain the secret to as few people as possible, and at the end of the day, not letting Yoruichi know won’t hurt her, and would also guarantee Ichigo’s safety that much better.

And, Kisuke thinks, when it comes to this particular matter, Ichigo’s safety is probably more important than any hurt feelings that might result should Yoruichi figure out what Kisuke’s “lady friend” really is and what Kisuke’s been deliberately hiding from her.

Besides, it _is_ Ichigo’s secret to tell, or not, and Kisuke apparently cares about that enough now to let it make his choice for him. Even if Kisuke tells him Yoruichi won’t betray his confidence, Ichigo might still want to stay mum on the subject. It’s simply safer for everyone to err on the side of caution.

“No,” He finally decides. “She received word of our… dinner outing the other night and expressed an interest in meeting you. She’s under the impression that you’re one of the ladies from Rukongai’s red-light districts though, and I think it would be best to continue letting her believe that. If you’re alright with it of course.”

Ichigo stares searchingly at him for a long moment before his fur somehow gives the impression of relaxing even though he was never bristling to begin with.

“Alright,” He agrees easily. “Whenever you want.”

He goes back to digging through the bin after that. Kisuke makes a mental note to find a Hell Butterfly and send it off to Yoruichi with an invite to dinner.

He glances down at the symbols he’s studying.

Tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Ichigo – back in her human courtesan form – giggles and blushes and smiles coyly under Yoruichi’s attention throughout the meal. She’s just polite enough to acknowledge Yoruichi’s rank as captain and clan head, charmingly humorous enough to make the other woman laugh, and in general, she moulds herself into exactly the kind of personality – poised and elegant but with a core of steel – that Yoruichi likes. It’s still Ichigo, underneath, but with just enough of a courtesan mask to redirect any possible suspicion. They both drink their weight in sake as the night gets darker, and conversation flows easily between them.

“Still, I never thought I’d see the day Kisuke would take interest in a woman over his projects,” Yoruichi says, hiccupping exaggeratedly in a way that Kisuke knows means she isn’t the least bit inebriated yet. Kisuke mutes a sigh behind his own drink. Ichigo bats wide eyes at her. Yoruichi waves a hand at Ichigo’s everything. “But it figures it would take someone like this to catch your eye.”

Kisuke arches an eyebrow. “A paid companion, Yoruichi-san?” He glances at Ichigo with an apologetic smile. “No offense of course, Ichigo-san.”

Ichigo shrugs gracefully, hair almost shimmering in the lantern light with the movement. “I am what I am.” A wicked smirk flits across her face, all flirtation and sex in a way that makes even Kisuke feel a few degrees warmer as she purrs, “And you do make it worth my while, Kisuke-kun.”

Kisuke clears his throat, flushing just a little at the implication. Across from them, Yoruichi positively cackles her approval.

It’s nice though, Kisuke supposes as Yoruichi calls for another round. Nice that his oldest friend seems to like Ichigo well enough. And she didn’t even bring Suì-Fēng and all her judgemental disdain along, the way Kisuke was half-afraid of when Yoruichi sent back her agreement to meet up for dinner. He doesn’t care about the girl’s opinion of course, and as Onmitsukidou, he doubts she would look down on Ichigo for essentially being a prostitute in this guise, but at the same time, she would consider Yoruichi too good to associate with the likes of Rukon whores, even high-class ones, and triply so if they’re accompanying Kisuke.

And Yoruichi probably wouldn’t have liked it if their meal ended prematurely just because Kisuke ended up drawing his blade on her protégé. Or if her protégé spontaneously burst into flames.

Either one would’ve been equally possible.

This is better. Just him and Yoruichi and a woman-fox he’s successfully introduced into Yoruichi’s favour. Thinking back, this is actually only the second time he’s made a friend he likes enough to bring deliberately to Yoruichi’s attention. The first was Tessai, and maybe that’s another reason Yoruichi came alone.

Kisuke so rarely takes interest in _people_.

“Kisuke, I’m still hungry!” Ichigo pouts.

Kisuke has to stifle his amusement when he sees a nearby waiter close enough to hear her twitch. Ichigo’s already eaten at least half her weight in food tonight.

“Of course,” He agrees easily, reaching to the side for the menu. “What would you like?” He really does smile this time. “More udon?”

He idly wonders if it would be possible for the restaurant to run out. Probably.

Ichigo huffs. “I love udon! And just for that, I want three bowls!”

The waiter almost falls over, and Kisuke has to smother a laugh. Yoruichi has no such qualms.

“You have a healthy appetite,” Yoruichi remarks with a grin. “And clearly, an even healthier metabolism.”

Ichigo matches her grin for grin, and for a moment, it almost looks like two predators gauging each other from across a battlefield.

Kisuke blinks, and the funny tension is gone. He shakes it off and turns to flag down the waiter.

“One more bowl for me too,” Yoruichi adds, and Kisuke doesn’t bother hiding his sigh at the twin looks of mischief on both women’s faces.

The restaurant ends up having to put up a sign apologizing for the lack of noodles before the night is out.

 

* * *

 

“Did you enjoy yourself?” is the first thing Kisuke asks once they’ve parted ways with Yoruichi and are back in Kisuke’s home.

As much as he wanted Yoruichi to like Ichigo, surprisingly enough, he wants Ichigo to like Yoruichi too.

Ichigo hums noncommittally, kimono blurring away as she shrinks and shrinks and reappears as a pipe fox once more. “It was pretty fun. The food was great.”

Kisuke rolls his eyes. “What about Yoruichi-san?”

Ichigo loop-de-loops over to the kotatsu, coiling and uncoiling impatiently as he waits for Kisuke to turn it on. “She was okay.”

Kisuke blinks. “Only okay?”

Ichigo’s furry face somehow turns pensive. “For someone like her, I liked her more than I thought I would.”

Kisuke digests that for a moment, more taken aback than offended. “…An assassin? A noble?”

He honestly didn’t think those were things Ichigo would care about.

Ichigo makes a raspberry noise. “No, idiot, as if I would care about that. You didn’t tell me she was descended from _nekomata_.”

Kisuke blanks. “What?”

“I suppose it’s not so weird,” Ichigo continues musing, either not noticing or not caring about the gobsmacked expression no doubt painted embarrassingly large across Kisuke’s face. “But you could’ve warned me. I’m a _kitsune_. We may be far above mere canines, but we’ve never exactly gotten along with most nekomata.”

Kisuke repeats, “ _What?_ ”

Ichigo has the gall to give him an annoyed look. “Are you joking? She has _cat eyes_. She has _fangs_. Last time I checked, not even Shinigami humans are spontaneously born with animal features.”

Kisuke scrambles for something to say. “It’s a Shihouin trait!” He protests, and then stops because that doesn’t actually help his case, does it?

Ichigo snorts. “Like I said, descended from at least one nekomata, so it would be strange if her whole family _don’t_ look part-feline.” He eyes Kisuke dubiously. “You seriously didn’t realize? Not even after you found out about my kind?”

“No,” Kisuke says, even as he wants to slap himself for not realizing this, or even just suspecting. “I- So- How-”

He gets an amused look this time. “Don’t tell me you suddenly don’t know how mating works.” His amusement fades. “Not _all_ humans hated my kind. Or, more likely, they didn’t even know they were interacting with one of us. Probably, a nekomata from ages back took on human form and mated with a Shihouin, and then had kids.” His expression darkens. “I’m surprised your leader and false-healer would allow their existence. Their nekomata blood is so obvious.”

That actually is something Kisuke can understand. He’s… fairly certain Yoruichi doesn’t know about her not so mythological blood. And if her clan as a whole has no idea, it wouldn’t be so far-fetched for Yamamoto to keep them close so long as they remain obedient to the government they work for. The Shihouins are _good_ at what they do after all. There are literally no assassins or spies in Soul Society who can match that clan’s innate talent for slipping through the shadows and killing in the dark.

He doesn’t share his thoughts. No sense in potentially setting Ichigo off and causing the fox to fly off and set Yamamoto on fire, at least not before Kisuke figures out what he’s going to do about this new information.

“Why is it not weird?” He asks instead. “You mentioned earlier.”

Ichigo’s head cocks to one side, and for a long minute, he simply stares assessingly at Kisuke, eyes glowing a faint eerie gold.

“Well they’re not the only clan in your world descended from us, you know?” Ichigo says at last. “Mama’s descendants from her first mate just aren’t as obvious about it.” He gives Kisuke a pointed look. “I don’t even have to go see it for myself. Which clan does your Shihouin friend’s family avoid the most?”

 _The Kuchiki Clan_ , is the answer that immediately pops into Kisuke’s mind, because he’s lost count of the number of times Yoruichi’s come back either irritated from a day of political grandstanding and diplomacy with the Kuchikis or utterly gleeful from a day of taunting their latest heir.

But-

-no. That’s not right, is it? Because for all that they get on each other’s nerves, the Kuchikis and Shihouins have never _avoided_ each other. They’ve declared political war on each other. They once spent half a century giving each other the cold shoulder. But they’ve also intermarried. Their businesses strike up as many trade agreements as they do rivalries. They _interact_ , even if it’s not always friendly interaction.

But the _Shiba_ Clan. Not a single Shihouin and Shiba have ever married. There’s never even been an affair. But nor have they ever butted heads, not really. They just… don’t mix.

Yoruichi’s friendship with Shiba Kuukaku turned heads when they were seen in public together the first several times, and they’re still the only exception to this day because nobody else in either family has followed their example. And on one very memorable occasion, the one time Yoruichi and Kuukaku got into an argument bad enough for both of them to pull weapons…

It was like watching a cat-and-dog fight, loud and violent and angry. They both ended up at the Fourth that day. They were friends again by the end of the week.

And all of that aside, don’t the Shibas have an inexplicable fondness for fireworks?

Ichigo nods sagely. “Exactly. Blood will out. Especially our blood.”

Kisuke needs to sit down.

 


End file.
